British Bollywood actress reveals she was locked in Dubai police cell for six hours and unable to return home for two months after her passport was seized 'because she threatened to post about a friend on Instagram in a money scandal'

A British Bollywood actress claims she was detained in Dubai for two months after threatening to post an article about a friend on social media.

Sofia Hayat, 39, who starred in Waterloo Road and the Indian version of Big Brother, was on a week-long trip when she got into trouble.

She got into an argument with someone she believed had borrowed money from her — and she threatened to report him on Instagram, she said.

She paid no attention to it until she tried to board a plane – when her passport was seized by police who put her in a cell for six hours, questioning her for another six hours, she claims.

Sofia had unknowingly broken strict laws regarding the posting of defamatory comments on social media.

She was ordered to stay in Dubai – and without her passport – she was forced to rent AirBnbs in Dubai for two months.

Sofia, from Battersea, London, was finally allowed to return home without a fine or jail term after being brought before a judge, she said.

But she says her extended stay cost her $20,000 – and she lost another $20,000 working as a spiritual healer while she was away.

Speaking now back in the UK, Sofia said: “Dubai is actually hell.

“I was expecting a modern country, full of glamour, wealth and all the amazing things it seems to be on Instagram and TikTok.

“It's all a lie. I'll never go back.

“Being held like that was horrible. I was heartbroken and felt extremely alone.

“I was constantly cancelling on clients because I couldn't get home and I was always afraid of losing them.

“I couldn't book long-term accommodation because I had no idea how long I would have to spend there.

“I had trouble sleeping. I had no idea I had committed a crime until I contacted the prosecutor. I just wanted to go home.”

Sofia flew to Dubai on December 28 from London – and was due to stay there for seven days.

She had an argument with a friend who she said had borrowed money from her – and threatened to post it on social media, she said.

So instead of ending her trip in Dubai, she tried to go to Saudi Arabia to spend New Year's Eve with a friend.

But at Dubai International Airport, her passport was confiscated and she was held by police from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m., questioned by up to five officers, she said.

The cell she was in was “freezing, dirty and small,” she said.

Her phone was confiscated and she was not allowed to call anyone – but after six hours she was allowed to text a friend, she claims.

“They just threw me in a cell, they didn't tell me anything,” she said.

“When I asked what was going on, the officer just told me to ‘shut up.’”

“At first I had panic attacks. I was shaking and crying while they were questioning me.

“They kept saying I threatened to reveal a sex tape. I threatened to reveal a name.

“Eventually they let me go, but I wasn't allowed to leave the country.

“I eventually came to terms with it through meditation. I imagined myself in London laughing about being detained in Dubai.”

Sofia paid $250 a week for AirBnbs and had to go to the police station twice a week, she said.

After eight weeks, the prosecutor told her that threatening to put someone's name on social media was actually a crime in Dubai, she said.

She said the penalty for her actions could be two years in prison or a $50,000 fine.

At a hearing, the judge allowed her release after hearing money was owed, she said.

She does not know exactly what happened at the hearing, however, because everything was conducted in Arabic, she said.

She was not punished and her passport was returned to her, she claims.

Sofia was fined $400 at Dubai airport for overstaying her visa, she said, and flew home on February 26.

“I think the only reason I came out is because I have a British passport and I'm a former Bollywood actress,” she said.

The British Embassy in Dubai did not respond to a request for comment.